Taltharian
Taltharian is a male elf wizard and an NPC in the Emeron campaign. Summary Taltharian is a self styled "Fire Mage" who is a Hero of Unity. He also assisted the Heroes of Prophecy and was wed to Trista Ravenlark for a time before returning to the Drezzenville to aid Eddie Drezzen in helping the settlement. Background Early Life Taltharian was born in the Grand Forest in the Eastern Realms to a fairly well off merchant family. Always fascinated with magic, his parents knew he desired to be a wizard when he grew and therefore arranged for Taltharian to apprentice to a local wizard. The boy took well to the magic, finding a special affinity for evocation magic, particularly flame based spells. Eventually Taltharian's master taught him all he could, but not all the young man wanted to learn. As a result Taltharian traveled to The Vade to continue his studies. Time in The Vade Taltharian managed to secure an apprenticeship with a well renowned arch-wizard named Melbin, where he came to meet his new master's fellow apprentices, among whom were Benverho and Justil. In 1072 Melbin died, which seemed to have released a powerful creature from an extra dimensional creature where he had imprisoned it. The creature attacked Melbin's home, slaying two of the late wizard's apprentices before they were able to flee. The monster, however, hunted them down and slew another of the creatures. Between their notes and observations they believed that the creature would hunt down any of Melbin's apprentices past and present. Benverho had already left the Eastern Realms for the Principality of Emeron, and Taltharian, Justil and the final two surviving apprentices decided to travel there to warn him and seek his aid in destroying the monster. In Emeron Taltharian and the other apprentices arrived in Emeron City and found Benverho to learn the monster had already attacked him there, although the wizard managed to narrowly survive and flee the beast. Even better, Benverho gathered his companions, the Heroes of Unity, and rallied them to slay the beast. The apprentices joined with Benverho and the heroes and fought the creature, ultimately destroying it. Taltharian and Justil decided to remain in Emeron to continue their studies at the Emeron Wizard's College and ultimately joined the Heroes of Unity in their adventures and quests. While in Emeron Taltharian and Eddie Drezzen traveled to the Confederation of Halfling Shires, which at the time was being conquered by the Principality of Imyan. Along with Brollo Goldpipe, the acting leader of the militias of the unconquered shires, the two rallied the surviving forces and led a campaign during the summer of 1072, culminating with the Battle of Roadshire where a decisive Imyan defeat pushed them out of the Shires. During the fighting Taltharian and Eddie were able to personally engage the enemy general and slay him, which marked the turning point in the battle. Later in 1073 Taltharian participated in the Battle of Unity, his magic having great effect upon the enemy. Post Battle of Unity After the Battle of Unity Taltharian continued his studies at the Emeron Wizard's College. In 1080 he and fellow Hero of Unity, Dandy Lion, traveled to Drezzenville to visit Eddie Drezzen, who had been elected mayor of the town. While there they heard reports of giant attacks on on nearby Cliffshire. Taltharian, Eddie and Dandy investigated, ultimately traveling into the mountains to battle the giants and returning with a Stone Giant baby. The people of Cliffshire elected to raise it and named it Lucky Bigfoot. Taltharian was eager to return to his studies and soon traveled to Emeron City on his own, as Dandy wished to continue to visit Eddie and the Shires. Helping the Heroes of Prophecy Taltharian continued his studies at the Emeron Wizard college for many years, occasionally even teaching some classes on evocation and fire magic. In 1129 Dandy Lion returned after 56 years. She stated she'd been trapped in animation by an evil wizard named Devos and was rescued by the Heroes of Prophecy. Worse, she stated that Eddie Drezzen had been replaced by a shapeshifting impostor and that she'd learned this during her visit there but she was captured by Devos before she could warn anyone she trusted. Taltharian, along with Trista Ravenlark, agreed to help and to meet Dandy and the Heroes of Prophecy in Cliffshire. Taltharian, Along with several of Trista's underlings in the Raven's Eye, traveled to Cliffshire but while waiting for the Heroes of Prophecy they were ambushed. Thanks in part to Taltharian's magic he and Trista survived, but the rest of the group was killed. They remained in hiding until Dandy arrived with her companions. The Showdown with Eddie Drezzen In early Yeti, 1130, the group arrived and Taltharian and Trista, along with Dedekind Fried, Lylena, Martok Stonecutter, Samara, Horace, and Friar Chuck Goldschläger, traveled to Drezzenville. Dandy was not present, in spite of her wishes, but she had spoken well of the others and Taltharian and Trista were willing to work with them to try to find and save the real Eddie Drezzen. In Drezzenville the group found the people laboring under harsh taxes from the impostor of Eddie, who had also built up and elite and well equipped force of soldiers loyal to him. Dedekind devised a plan to create a distraction by releasing the ponies from Eddie's stable and setting it ablaze, which drew enough guards away for the Heroes to sneak into his manor house and an epic battle took place within. When the dust had settled, the manor house had been burned to the the impostor had been slain along with many of his soldiers, but Horace too had died in battle. The extent of the fire damage was, in part, thanks to Taltharian's magic. Citing the Yortorian Prophecy the Heroes traveled to Home, the capital of the Confederation of Halfling Shires. On the way, however, they were accosted by a patrol stating they had orders to arrest anyone matching the description of Dedekind, Taltharian and Trista (as well as Dandy, Ferris and Elrude, none of whom were present). The party defeated the guards but proceeded with caution once they reached Home. On the 16th of Yeti, 1130, the Heroes of Prophecy slipped into the home of Brollo Goldpipe, as he'd been the one to issue the arrest orders in question. There they found that he too was involved in the conspiracy, working closely with the imposer of Eddie Drezzen, and that he too was an impostor. More shocking they found the real Eddie Drezeen and Brollo Goldpipe suspended in animation. The heroes freed the halflings, who were shocked to learn that over fifty years had passed since they were imprisoned. Among the items found was the Shield of Yondolla and several letters indicating that Starr and the other surviving members of the conspiracy had collected some of the artifacts and were traveling north to collect the last few. Heading North Reunited with Eddie, Taltharian and Trista returned North with the Heroes of Prophecy to assist them in their efforts to stop Starr from summoning the Dragon Queen. Once the 15th of Toad, 1130, they reached Tralpar and met up with Ferris Gerabaldi, Kagami of Towa and Vestibule. After discussion they decided to split up. Trista, Eddie, Taltharian and Kagami would head west to attempt to secure the assistance of the elves of the Glave Woods. Meanwhile, Dedekind, Lylena, Samara, Friar Chuck, Ferris, Vestibule and Martok would proceed north to try to catch and slow down Starr's party. They also took the precaution of splitting the artifacts in their possession between the two groups as well. Diplomatic Endeavors Taltharian accompanied Trista Ravenlark, Eddie Drezzen and Kagami of Towa to the Glavewood Kingdom. They struggled to secure an audience, as when last the Heroes of Unity had been here they failed to make a good impression on Queen Parthalanis. They group made their case to a series of underlings, begging for an audience with the queen to explain the importance of the coming danger to all of Goric. Ultimately when it was obvious they would not get an audience with the queen they were forced to accept the promises of the functionaries they spoke with to inform her. Frustrated, the group departed for Emeron City to reunite with the others. Unexpected Love While on the road with Trista when helping the Heroes of Prophecy he and Trista began to grow quite close and by the time they returned to Emeron City the feelings of attraction and mutual respect had blossomed into love. The two began a romance, even though as a full elf Taltharian would age much more slowly. Though Trista remained in Emeron City, Taltharian went to the Dwarven Mountains to help prevent the Dragon Queen from coming to Goric. Questing in Thorgain After a war council in Emeron City it was determined that the Heroes of Prophecy would head to the Dwarven Mountains to try to obtain the last few artifacts to keep them from the enemy, and Taltharian and Eddie agreed to accompany them. The group hired a mountaineering expert named Arroun and headed north. On the 14th of Swan, 1130, Dedekind Fried, Samara, Friar Chuck Goldschläger, Martok Stonecutter, Eddie Drezzen and Taltharian reached Gnomedon and located the Eyeglass of Garl Glittergold in the possession of a local jeweler named Parikkellovelle. The gnome refused to relinquish it under any circumstances. Meanwhile Ruby, the dragon mate of Starr, paid off a nearby band of ogres to attack Gnomedon to cause a distraction. Taltharian assisted in the battle and the Ogre attack was ultimately repulsed. However while the battle raged, Ruby made for the artifact, killing Parikkellovelle. Arroun suspected the Ogre attack could be a feign though and returned to the gnome's gem shop just in time to catch Ruby. Though Ruby killed Arroun, he succeeded in delaying the dragon long enough for the Heroes of Prophecy to arrive and slay her, securing the Eyeglass of Garl Glittergold for themselves. The party continued to the city of Thorgain, arriving on the 15th of Horse and meeting up with Lylena, Ferris Gerabaldi and Vestibule. The trio had lingered in Emeron City to learn the site where the enemy would perform the ritual to allow the Dragon Queen into Goric. They quickly learned that the Hammer of Moradin was held in the possession of the Church of Moradin. They decided to warn the church that a dragon was likely going to come for it. The church's chief guardian, Balim Silverblade, ultimately was convinced to allow the Heroes of Prophecy to help guard the hammer. That night, the green dragon Emerald took the form of Balim and was able to cast a spell that incapacitated the guardians just long enough for him to flee. The heroes gave chase, but Emerald, still disguised as Balim, ordered the other defenders of the church to attack the Heroes of Prophecy while a liche lobbed spells at them to further confuse and slow the heroes down. The fight turned out to be incredibly fierce. The heroes managed to slay the liche, but Emerald got away with the Hammer of Moradin. Worse, Dedekind was killed and Taltharian and Martok were turned into statues. The Heroes of Prophecy spent the next few days recovering and convincing the dwarven authorities to field a force to Thorgain Peak. Ferris and Lylena were able to restore Taltharian and Martok, to their normal form. The Battle at Thorgain Peak The Heroes of Prophecy convinced the dwarven authorities to field a force of troops to travel to Thorgain Peak, where the ritual to summon the Dragon Queen would be performed. General Harlock Hammerhand would lead a hastily gathered force of 200 dwarves there alongside the surviving Heroes of Prophecy: Lylena, Ferris Gerabaldi, Samara, Vestibule, Friar Chuck Goldschläger, Martok Stonecutter, Eddie Drezzen and Taltharian. On the 15th of Unicorn, 1130, the forces reached Thorgain Peak, where they found that the evil wizard Salvok was already performing the ritual behind a seemingly impenetrable magical shield. Worse, the dragons Emerald and Starr were awaiting them and immediately engaged the assembled forces. Thankfully the heroes were not alone. While the others hunted for the final artifacts, Kagami of Towa and Dandy Lion had convinced Baron Christopher Ravenut to march a force to Thorgain Peak to lend assistance. During the immense battle Emerald was slain. While the forces battled the dragons Salvok was able to conclude his ritual and an immense portal opened allowing a five headed dragon to emerge and immediately begin laying waste to the gathered troops, slaughtering scores of soldiers as all five heads breathed death incarnate upon them. However the conclusion of the spell also lowered the shield. Ferris was able to slay Salvok and the Heroes of Prophecy stormed the portal and were able to force the Dragon Queen back to her own realm. As the portal closed and the Dragon Queen was banished for Goric forever more, the clouds begin to coalesce into the shapes of heads. The God's whose artifacts had been used appeared to the mere mortals of the world. The deities offered a boon to each of the Heroes of Prophecy. Once granted, the artifacts vanished and the clouds dispersed leaving the skies peaceful once again. When the Gods offered Talthartian a boon for his aid, he wished for Trista to live the lifespan of an elf so that they could be together for the rest of both their lives. The gods granted this boon and Trista's aging slowed to that of a full blooded elf. After the Battle at Thorgain Peak Taltharian returned to Emeron City after the Dragon Queen's plot was thwarted in 1130 and resumed his studies in the Emeron Wizard's College. He and Trista Ravenlark continued their romance until around 1140 when things began to cool. She had never appreciated that he had made such a monumental decision about her life without her consent, and his obsessive focus on his studies often consumed more of his time than she liked. They two ultimately agreed that, though they still cared deeply for one another, romance was no longer palatable for them. They parted on good terms and Taltharian traveled to the Drezzenville to help Eddie Drezzen repair the damage his impostor had caused. Having come to care for the people of Drezzenville Talthariain retained his residence there even after Eddie died of natural causes. He lives in semi-retirement, continuing his studies in small ways and using his magic to help protect and assist the halflings of the town. Personality and Abilities Taltharian is a good man, but one prone to occasional hotheadedness. Having been raised in the Grand Forest, he was not fully prepared for, and takes a dim view of, the casual anti-elf racism found among many of the humans of Emeron, and when faced with hit he would often react poorly. He has proven to be incredibly loyal to his friends, willing to go to great lengths to assist them. Taltharian is a highly capable wizard, with a preference to fire based spells. Though not a full fledged pyromaniac he does enjoy creating and observing fire more than most others. Since settling in Drezzenville he has expanded his personal magical library to a number of utility spells to assist the locals in their more pastoral endeavors and duties. Category:Emeron Category:Characters Category:NPCs